Flour-bolt



s. C. MENDENHALL.

Flour Bolt.

Ne. 14,199. Pe1emed Feb. 5. 1856.

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UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

S. C. MENDENI-IALL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

FLOUR-BOLT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,199, dated February 5, 1856.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, S. C. MENDENHALL, ofRichmond, in the county of WTayne and State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful improvements in wirecloth flour-bolts for thepurpose of effecting a more perfect and simple separation of the flourand offal; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the. accompanyingdrawings, and letters marked thereon, forming a part of thisdescription.

The nature of my invention consists in providing` valves for theordinary wire cloth bolt, of such construction that they will admit ofexpansion or contraction, so as that when their lower ends are inconnection with the flour and oial spouts of the bolt, that their upperends may move freely on a parallel line with the screen cylinder, alsoin providing cords, pulleys, drums and indicators to operate the valvesfrom below, obviating the necessity of the miller going above stairs asis required with the usual construction of bolts, to make a change inthe separation of the flour and offal.

As my improvements are confined to the novel and peculiar manner ofproducing separations in the wire cloth bolt, and particularly that ofMendenhall and Connors of which the within described improvements areintended to constitute a part thereof, I shall confine myself to thespecific improvements constituting this schedule; and for furtherinformation reference may be had to the above mentioned bolt, which caseis now pending in the United States Patent Oflice.

A, B, C, are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, floors in a mill.

Figure 1 in the drawing represents a sectional view through the lengthof the bolt; and Fig. 2 represents a sectional view through the width ofthe same, showing the internal arrangement of the cord-box H.

In Fig. 1, D, D, D represent the side frame; s, s, s, s, s, s, s, theextension-ribs which meet the rib of the screen cylinder and extend downin a tapering form until they form a line with the action of thespout-valves g, g, g. These valves are swung or hinged at the uppertermini of the spout divisions o, 0, 0, and their ends move freely inparallel grooves and close to the termini of the txtension-ribs, therebyforming a continuous separation from the ribs of this screen cylinderinto the flour and ottal spouts which are marked f, fr, lm., .9, Z), forHour, returns, millings, shorts and bran. In order that the valves g, g,g, may vary their length to suit the varying distances from the pointsat which they are hinged below, to the points of the ribs 1, 2, 3, &c.,above, they are made double, the lower part (l, sliding into and out ofthe upper part g. This simple arrangement gives the valves an easyadjustment to any point desired, enabling the miller to make perfectseparations atY any point in the whole length of the bolt. L. is a smallvalve that may be thrown across the shorts spoutwhen all the olfalrcquired to escape at the bran spout. It is provided with a cord p, toopen it, and spring s to close it when required. The cord y) may bepassed into the cord box and extended down to the lirst floor as in thecase of the other valve cords. The cords (Z, d, (l, are attachedrespectively to the valves (f, g, g, passing' over the pulleys f, j", f,f, and down through the cord box I-I, to the drums x, to which they aresecured. Another view of the cord box may be seen in Fig, 2. j j j areindicators secured on the cords which move the valves y, g, g. And thisbox II has a. graduated scale on it, 1, 2, 3 &c. which spaces are thesame distance apart that those of the ribs are, marked s, s, &c., andnumbered 1, 2, 3, &c. The drum .ce1 moves the valve g1, the drum x2moves the valve g2, and the drum .r3 moves the valve g3, and theindicators j, j, j, on the cords, in connection with the figures 1, 2,3, &C., on the box, will show the miller the precise point at whicheither of the valves may be placed, or enable him to change as he maydesire.

Having thus fully described the construction of my improvement on flourbolts, I will now show its operation and the advantages it possessesover all other devices for the same purpose. The object accomplishedwith this improvement is a two fold onea merchant and a country boltcombined. The valves as shown in Fig. l represent the bolt on merchantIwork. It will be seen that while valve gl is on rib No. G its indicatoris also on (S in the cord box and so of the other valves and indicators.Now suppose the miller wishes to put the bolt on custom work, he stepsto the cord box and moves the indicator from 6, down to s, which willplace the valve g1 on the 4th rib which closes the return spout. I-Iethen moves theindicator j, from 2, up to il, which will place the valveg3 also on the 4th rib, this action closes the middlings spout, thesechanges are in-.

dicated in the drawing by dotted lines c, c. Vhile the valves occupythis last position all the flour from the head of the bolt to the 4thrib will pass out at the flour spout, while all the ofal except the branwill escape through the shorts spout, and to throw it from the shortsspout into the bran spout the valve it, is thrown across the shortsspout by the action of the cord p, and the offal is carried into thebran spout. By this arrangement it will readily be seen that the flouris secured through one spout and all of the offal through another andproduced entirely within the bolt, easily and quickly without the millerbeing required to leave the ground Hour, no ditterence how high the boltmay be placed above.

Having thus fully described the construction and operation of myimprovement in the separation in flour bolts what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. The direct and positive expansion and contraction. of the valves g,g, g, between iXed and varying points, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose set forth.

2. I also claim the combination of the expanding and contracting valvesg, g, g, with the cords d, d, d, pulleys f, f, f, f, drums x, w, andindicators j, j, y', or their equivalents, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before twosubscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN C. MENDENHALL.

Attest:

STEPHEN ELLIOT, JOSEPH MARGHANT.

